Among Mitt Romney’s long list of failures throughout his political career was one that stands high above all others so far. He was the 2012 Republican nominee for president, finally getting his turn to try to win the big seat. But he failed miserably, almost inexplicably. Almost.
By halfway through 2012, Obamacare had already lost so much steam as people realized what they were promised wasn’t in the same ballpark as what was delivered by the Affordable Care Act. It wasn’t affordable. Care wasn’t improved in any way. You couldn’t always keep your doctors. Of the tiny percentage of people who benefited from the plan, most of them couldn’t see tangible benefits because unlike their expectations, it generally wasn’t free.
Republicans had come off a massive turnaround in the 2010 midterm elections, taking control of the House of Representatives and stifling the Obama agenda that had done so little with their control of Capitol Hill other than passing the ACA. They were poised for a big win against a fading president whose star power had been hit by inaction.
All the GOP needed to do was continue to hit him on Obamacare and the White House would be theirs. So how did they go about doing it? By nominating the architect of Obamacare’s predecessor, Romneycare.
They neutered their best attack. Today, many Establishment Democrats are considering going down the same road as Establishment Republicans did in 2012. They are strongly considering nominating Mike Bloomberg as their nominee, the one guy who shares many of President Trump’s vulnerabilities.
Personally, I do not consider these things to be vulnerabilities, but to the all-important Independent vote, the Democrats have an opportunity to paint them as such. What do President Trump and Mike Bloomberg share? There are too many instances to count, but I’ll try…
- Inherent New York City Rudeness – Those of us who have lived in New York City know there’s a way to talk to each other that can seem rude. We don’t mean anything by it. That’s just how we talk. Unfortunately for Bloomberg, his rudeness seems to be more abrasive, not because he can out-insult President Trump but because his insults simply aren’t funny. The President’s often are.
- Accusations of Misogyny and Sexual Misconduct – The vast majority of accusations against the President and those surrounding him have accumulated in the last four years since he’s been a candidate and a president. Bloomberg’s long list of attacks against women are documented with lawsuits that stretch back decades while being as recent as last year. Democrats love to hit President Trump as a misogynist. Good luck doing that by nominating a known misogynist.
- Accusations of Racism – President Trump’s policies as president have created historically low unemployment and high wages for minorities across the board. Bloomberg’s policies as mayor literally had police spending most of their time in minority neighborhoods throwing young Black and Latino men against walls to frisk them.
- Pompous Authority Vibe – Both men have enjoyed power and respect throughout their adult lives. Both men come across as authority figures—”Trust me because I said so”—while having harsh punishments for those who attempt to subvert their power. These are men who do not like to be questioned.
- Old, White, Straight, Cisgender, Rich Males – In the modern game of intersectionality and wokeness, both men fail miserably.
Again, it’s important to stress that I’m not suggesting these traits of the President are true weaknesses, but they’re vulnerabilities in the eyes of Democrats and left-leaning Independents. That is why nominating a guy who shares these qualities—and in many ways exceeds the President in their severity—is quite funny to watch.
Trump Derangement Syndrome has so overcome Establishment Democrats that many seem willing to nominate the least “woke” candidate since George Wallace. The guy’s rich and willing to spend it, and that’s all his supporters see in him.
